Refrigerator



May 19, 1925.

. L. G. COPEMAN REFRIGERATOR Filed June 25, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 19, 1925. I 1,538,469

' L. G. CCPEMAN Filed June 25, 1923 May 19, 1925. 1,538,469

L. G. COPEMAN A REFRIGERATOR H Filed June 25. 192 5 5 Sheets-Sheet s anon 1* 0'0 May 19, 19 2 5.

L.COPEMAN REFRI GERATOR Filed June 25, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May" 19, 1925. 1,538,469

L. G. COPEMAN REFRIGERATOR v Filed June 25, 1 923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 attozmq To all wltom-itmaycmwem:

Patented May 19. 1925 new) o. cornmsn, or ricm'r, MICHIGAN.

" nnrnm'nne'ron.

Applicetion'filed .Tune 25, 1923. Serial No. 647,603.

Be it known that I, Ltorn G.'- Co i=nMAN a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint. in the'connty of Geneseeand State of Michigan. have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a speci ication.

This invention relates to refrigerator construction, and has for .its'ohject a rc-Erigcra tor constructed entirely of stonework with the exception of the back; The originally semi-fluid plastic material is moulded into an'outer' stone shell and into an innei'gstone shell. The inner stone shell is floated in the outer stone shell lay-means of afifianged back plete; suitable heat-insulated packing is secured in between the two shells.

Aconstruction of this kind has numerous. advantages over the ordinary wooden" refrigerator construction. The wooden refrigerator is a built up proposition which ire-- quires a large amount'o't lumber that has to he suitably placed and finished. '."ns all has to be cut, trimmed and prepared rtorhtting together. The same then has to he properly joined together with glue and otherwis fastened joints requiring a large refrigerators contain sheet metal amount of labor, which involves thcinajor portion of the cost of the refrigerator. Fin'tliern'iore, the Wooden refrigerators are quite unsatisfactory for the reason of the A retrigerator is opening of the joints. su b eet to severe heat changes and-also moisture-content changes. Wood is very sensitive to changes of this kind and it is well known that wood easily warps and swells and the joints open, resulting in not only unsanitary conditions but the final This condition is rec-,,

wrecking of the box. ognized today as the best and highest priced shells which are enameled on the outside.

Itis the object of the present invention to design a refrigerator which can he made ground cork, mineral wool or any other suitable insulation. The back plate which" serves to permanently float the inner shell I iii-the outer shellmay'then he secure/din place. completing the box structure. This gives a refrigerator construction which is much cheaperto manufacture and. which iiy cleaned cooler.

through the refrigerator.

shell with theinner shellremoved.

, cement. For instance, I find that composi-' will practically never wear out. It makes an absolutely sanitary box inside and outside and avoids all exposed joints except at the back, employing there joints of amateria'l that will not swell or open. te-rial may be easily cnan'ielcd outside and' inside giving an extremely pleasing appearauce, and n ialii 1g anal'isolutely sanitary-eas- .lhcse i'(32\i;lll'$$ :;Wlli be 1 he detailed oonstrucbetter vunderstood a tion is developed.

- In the drawings:

:Fig. 1 is a perspective vieqi of the outer shell.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the inner" shell. f 1 Fig.- 3 is a horizontal sectional View Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4i of Fig.

This new 3, showing the location of the inner shell with respect to the outer shell.

.. Fig. 5 is a section on the line of Fig.

SllHWlIl" the method of fastening the hack of the rei'rlgerator.

Fig. (3 is a plan view of the bottom of the refrigerator. 7

- Fl". 7 is a seotiontaken on the line 7-.7 of Fig. 3, showing the drain: pipe.

Fig. '8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6 showing the c; stor construction.

Fig. Sis a vertical section taken onthe line 9-'9'0f Fig. 3. I I

Fig. 10 is a detail section of the top construction taken on the line 10- 10 of Fig. 9.- Fig. 11 is a frontelevation-ofthe refrigerator showing in dotted lines the reinforcev therein.

'Fig. 13 is a detail in iniorcing members. w Pg. 14 is a front elevation" of the outer perspective'of the re- Therefrigerator is made up. of an outer shell a',.andan inner-shell b erioh of these is a moulded shell.-.. It isinouldcd orcast from a cementit ous or concrete. material in suitable. moulds which are described and claimed 'in my copending a .-plication No'.

647,599. I prefer to use a composition material of :Which the base is-an cry-chloride tion material made up of magnesium oxide.

merit for the front wall construction pt"the i-os soft silex ground flint), sand, (crystal flake), groan asbestos, lithopone and magnesinm chloride dissolved in water afibrds admirable stonework when it sets. However, I donot limit myself to any particular composition material, as it will be apparent that various originally-liquid compositions may be used to afford a complete stonework when they have set after the moulding operation. I find that composition material made up of the ingredients I have named forms a very satisfactory stonework that 1s not only hard but possesses great tens le strength so as not to crack or break.

Inspection of-Fig. 1 together with the other figures, will make apparent the character of the outer shell. It comprises a fivewall rectangular enclosure, the back being open. Along two sides of each door opening is a reinforcing rib c, whlch' forms part of the door frame, the remainder of the door frame being formed by the edge of the inner shell abutting against the edge of the door opening. This will be apparent in viewing Figs. 3 and 4, where it will be apparent that the cast rib c of the outer shell forms. part of the'door post while on the other sides of the door openings, the corresponding part of the door post .is formed by the front edges of the inner shell designated (5. in this case,

dovetailed wooden strips that act as the heat-insulating contact between the outer and the inner shell.

The inner shell I) is a more intricate casting' than the outer shell, and the suitable dies and method for securing this one unitary casting are described and claimed in detail in the copending application already referred to. A dovetailed wooden strip 9 is locked into the inner shell at the front to form an insulating contact. This strip islaid in the mould and the inner shell cast upon the dovetail rib shown on the back of the strip, thereby locking the strip-securely to the inner shell. The inner shell comprises the fopr side walls and a back-Wall and is open at the front. It includes a vertical partition wall it and a horizontal partition wall 2'. that forms the ice chamber. The front of each of these partition walls is provided with an insulating strip j to form as already described, a heat insulating contact between the inner shell and the outer shell. The back of the inner shell is pro-' vided with .our horizontally projected legs k. Into these legs there are moulded tapped bushings m to receive the machine screws 11.

Preferably, perforated reinforcing bars 0 are. used in the outer shell casting at the front "to run betweenthe three door openings to reinforce the stonework casting at the weakest point. These are simply laid the mould in the manner described in my copending application, so that they become a. of the integral casting, The

outer shell is provided with vertical legs p into which are moulded the metal ca'stor sockets 9. Into the horizontal partition wall is moulded. a tapped bushing 1*, adapted are formed with the usual stepped construction, by reason of the casting of the outer shell being provided with the ribs 0 already mentioned. These ribs 0 on two sides of the door opening are offset from the door opening to give the step construction. On the other hand, a portion of the step construction of the door post on the other two sides isformed by the abutting edge of the inner shell. This is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The central vertical partition wall fits nicely be tween the reinforcing ribs c of the outer shell so as to help in centering the inner shell in the outer shell. The partition wall of the main food chamber of the inner shell is horizontally ribbed as at '21 to provide shelf supports as is also the side wall of the inner shell.

It will be apparent that the inner shell may be telescoped into the outer shell. A pair of bolts a: may be inserted at the top and bottom of the munnion of the outer shell, passing through the threaded openings y in the inner shell. This will temporarily support the inner shell in the outer shell. If the strain is too great on these bolts because of the leverage, suitable blocks may be inserted as temporary spacers to relieve the load. The space between the outer and inner shell may now be rammed with suitable packing material. The assembly is then completed .by simply fitting in the flanged back plate 2 which i a relativelydeep flange. which nicely fits into the rear opening of the outer shell.

is provided with Machine screws 92 may now be passed through holes in this back plate: these can be screwed in bushings .772, (see Fig. 5). This will properly center and float the telescoping inner shell in spaced relation with respect to the outer shell. This completes a remarkably simple assembly and does away with a large labor cost.

The refrigerator may be coated both inside and out, either by simple paint or by a high grade enamelsuch as an air drying enamel; such air drying enamel as is atlorded by some of the pyroxylin or celluloid compounds. namely. an air drying lacquer such as is known by the trade name of Pyuolin an enamel put out by the E. I. Du Pont De Nemonrs Co.

applications, it will be unnecessary to detail these here, for obviously they could'he of wood or any other material. Theouts'ide hardware, such aslatches, latehistrikersand hinges are secured to the stonework .by.

screws that engage in the bushings Z, that for carrying the inner moulded shell and v are cast into the shells. in the same way as the bushings 1 What I claim is: a

- 1. In airefrigerator, the eoiuhinalion of an outer moulded shell, an inner noulded shell telescoping therein, and a hack plate holding it in spaced relation with respect to the other-moulded shell. 1

2, In a refrigeraton the combination of an outer moulded shell provided at the rear with an opening and atthe front with one or more door opeuingsnnu inner moulded shell provided it the "front with an opening and telescoping into theouter shell and held" in spaced relat-ionwithrespect lo the outer shell except at the front. 3. In a refrigerator. the combination of an outer moulded shell huviug an opening at the back, an inner moulded shell opening at the front and telescopino into theouter moulded shell and a flanged. hack plate tlt-,

ted into the opening: in the outer shell and holding the inner shell in floating relation with respect to the outer shell.

4. In a refrigerator. the combination-of an outer shell having four side walls and a door-apertured frontjwall, an inner 1noulded-shell forming the lining of the refrigerator. and divided by a partition into a plus rality of chambers,- the said inner shell having four side walls, a hack Welland being open at the front, and means for floating the inner shell (in, the outer shell, in spaced relationwith the sidewalls of the outer shell. 51111 a refrigerator, the comloinationlof an outer-shell, the outer shell provided witl door opening comprising a moulded struc ture of our side walls. .a ,door-aperturecl' t'ront wall and opening-st the hacln a moulded and chamhered inner shell-telescoping into the outer shelhfasteninudevices .for removahl securing the inner shell to the apertured front wall of the outer. shelh and means for floating the inner shell in spaced relation with respect to the outer-shell. v

an outer shell. having a door-apertured front wall and four side walls with an opening! at the heck, an. inner moulded and chamhered shell having {our side walls and u back wall provided with horizontally pros jecting less and open at the; front. rneans for removablv securing the front of the in- -tion with respect to the sidewalls.

cas' ing forming an inner-shell secured to a hack plate for floatinethe inner-shell in inner shell having an opent'ront adapted to contact with the front wall of the out er shell and provided with insulating material ahoul;

the front edges where coutactislnm'rle with the ou-tershell. lUNl lDQ- UlS for lloatingthe lnner shell' in the outer shell in spaced rela- 8. In "a."refrigerator, the combination of a moulded outer shell provided with side walls and :1 iron}; wall having on the inside f-integral ribs. and a moulded inner shell adapted to fit into the outer shell in telescoping relation, the inner shellgprovided; with aback wall side Welland front edges arranged to complement the ribs of the inside of the front Wall'Of the outer shell to provide complete door opening. frames.

9. In a-refrigerator. a moulded. outcrshell provided with 'four side walls and an apertured front wall iuclu'dinge central 'rnullion. and areinforcing 'har' embedded in saidinullion. v 1

10. In arefrigeratonthe COHlbll'ldlLlOROf a casting forming an outer shell. a second the outer-shell in spaced relation. and a closure securedto the opening in the outer shell through which the second casting. is intro- (l'LlCGCL'lQllB inner shell forming one or more. preserving chambers for the refrigerators, the outer shell proL ided with door openings in the front through which access may be had to said preserving. chamhersin the inner shell' 11 A In it refrigerator, the combination of Ten outer moulded shell provided with'a, front, with one erf more dOOELQPQIiiIlgS, end provided with apl'urality ofreinaini ngwells ,.with one o'f the remaining sides having airel "the front wall of the-moulded outcrshell and in spaced relation with some of the other walls, and a closure for the opening through which the-inner shell is introduced.

12. In a refriger tor, the combination of portions of door frames formed in the way an outer Inoulded shell provided with one or more dooropenlngzsiu the front and having 1 i o l I a plurality of remaining walls and sldes one of which is provided witha large opening, .a

" moulded open frontv inner shell which can he passed through said opening and heldin ner,..shell to the front of the outer shell, and spacedi'elation with the several of the walls of the refrigerator, and means for closin said ogiening when said moulded inner shel has been passed therethrough.

13. In a refrigerator, the combination of an outer moulded stone shell provided with one or more done openings at the front'and having a plurality of walls and an open space, a moulded stone inner shell having an open front which can be passed into the open space and the open front caused to register with the door opening or openings, means for holding said moulded inner shell in spaced relation with the outer shell, and means for insulating the two stone shells.

14. In a refiigeretor, the combination of i e moulded stone inner shell. having an open side, which shell can be passed through the d to ister witlrthe door openings, nie

. asenee an outer moulded stone e face with one or more onenn v I y I 0 L 0 provided at another side with an open space open space and such open side o in 1* huh? ing the moulded inner shell in s nced tion with the outer shell, and means drawing the flmer shell tightly nst outer shell on the side of the outer sheil pro vided with the door opening.

In testimony whereof I effiz my Signet-unit I LLOYD 

